With the quick development of the technology, more and more advanced technology has been employed in various fields, such as science, engineering, architecture and so on. The virtual reality can be seen as one of the advanced technology in modern times, which has assisted the development of the society and economy in diverse aspects, and the applications of virtual reality are quite useful, which should be analyzed in detail to see the implications of it with specific examples. Virtual Reality has been considered as the immersive multimedia, which is an environment that can be simulated by computers and can simulate the real presence in any place in the world (Danet, 2001). The sensory experiences that can be recreated by the virtual reality are quite useful in promoting the fast development of the society and economy, which can benefit the whole world in the long run. The report will use two instances to explain the importance of virtual reality in modern world with the theory of Baudrillard’s concept of simulation.

近年來，由虛擬現實創建的環境已經顯示在PC的屏幕上或者具有一些特殊的立體顯示器，以及包括額外的感官信息的若干模擬，其強調從揚聲器朝向虛擬現實的用戶的真實聲音。如今，觸覺信息已包含在觸覺，先進系統中，被認為是游戲，醫療，軍事應用中的一種力反饋（Best and Kellner，1991）。此外，遠程通信環境也可以通過虛擬現實來重建，這可以為VR用戶提供電傳和遠程呈現或VA的感覺。使用虛擬現實技術模擬的環境可能與現實世界有點相似，旨在創造一種生活在現實生活中的體驗（Deuze，2012）。例如，戰斗訓練和飛行員的模擬可以使模擬中的人覺得一切都是真的。然而，它也可以在很大程度上與現實不同，例如虛擬現實游戲。事實上，目前，很難以高保真度創建VR體驗，因為在處理圖像分辨率，功率和通信帶寬方面存在一些技術限制。更重要的是，虛擬現實的支持者希望VR的支持技術在不久的將來變得更有效，更強大（Loader，1997）。

Although the concept of virtual reality has a long history, lots of people do not know its meaning clearly. Virtual reality can be considered as a kind of immersive multimedia, which has the ability to recreate the sensory experiences, including the smell, sound, sight, touch and taste.

In recent years, the environments created by virtual reality have been shown on the screen of a PC or with some peculiar stereoscopic displays, and several simulations including the extra sensory information, which emphasize the real sound from the speakers towards the users of virtual reality. Nowadays, the tactile information has been included in the haptic, advanced systems, which is considered as a kind of force feedback in gaming, medical, military applications (Best and Kellner, 1991). Moreover, the remote communicating environment can also be recreated by virtual reality, which can offer the VR users with the feelings of telexistence and telepresence or a VA. The environment that has been simulated with the technology of virtual reality may be a little similar to the world in reality, which aims to create an experience as if one lives in the real life (Deuze, 2012). For instance, the simulations for the combat training and the pilot can make the people who are in the simulations feel that everything is true. However, it can also be different from the reality to a great degree, such as the virtual reality games. In fact, at present, it is quite hard to create the VR experience with high fidelity, for there are some technological limitations on dealing with the image resolutions, the power, and the bandwidth of communication. What is more, the proponents of virtual reality wish that VR’s enabling technology turn much more effective in cost and more powerful in the near future (Loader, 1997).

VR has been employed to describe various applications, which often associated with the 3D, high visual, and immersive simulated environments (Turkle, 2009). With the development of the software in CAD, the nation becomes more and more popular in the world. The concepts of VR can also be diverse, such as the online communication, the immersion and so on. Many people always associates virtual reality with the data suits and the head mounted displays (Castells, 2000).

This is the brief introduction on the virtual reality. The following report will employ two examples to explain the virtual reality in detail.

2.2 The theory of Baudrillard’s concept of simulation

The theory of Baudrillard’s concept of simulation has become more and more popular with the development of the advanced technology. According to the theory of Baudrillard’s concept of simulation, the society of human beings in the postmodern culture becomes more and more dependent on the maps and models which people have lost touch with the real world. The reality has also started to simulate the model, which at present decides and precedes the reality (Flew, 2005). In the concepts of Baudrillard, the true question is to substitute the signs of the real world for the reality, and the imitation or duplication has become quite easy in modern times (Porter, 1997).

Baudrillard has pointed that people have lost the capability to understand the difference between the artifice and nature. In his opinion, there are 3 orders of simulacra. There are also various and a large number of instances to explain the loss of differences between the simulacrum and reality (Mackay and O’Sullivan, 1999). First, the culture of media, nowadays, is not only concerned with delivering information but with enabling pone to approach another and the world by the lens of various media images. Secondly, the exchange of value is also one reason. Baudrillard thought that people had lost all the concept of use-value, which has been captured by capital completely. The capital now can define all the identities of human beings (Green and Adam, 2001).

With the progression of the simulation, it is necessary to understand it with more details by using it in various applications. The following part will focus on the applications of VR in healthcare and construction to discuss simulation more specifically (Stefik, 1997).

3.0The examples of the virtual reality applications

3.1The applications of virtual reality in healthcare

Virtual reality has been employed in healthcare, including the surgery simulation, the training of certain skills, the robotic surgery and the phobia treatment (Plant, 1998). This kind of technology has many advantages, which enables the professionals of healthcare to master new techniques and refresh the existing persons in a secure environment. Moreover, it has allowed this process to cause no harm or danger to the patients.

For example, there is much human simulation software in the healthcare market. The HumanSim system can allow the nurses, doctors and the medical professionals to communicate others in an environment with the interactive effects (Shields, 2003). In a 3D environment, the professionals can be busy with the training scenarios where they have no choice but to communicate with a patient. This process can be considered as an immersive experience that can measure the emotions of the participants through a set of sensors. The VR diagnostics have become popular as well in modern times (Turkle, 1997). The virtual reality in diagnostic tools can help doctors to reach at a diagnosis with other ways such as the MRI scans at the same time, which can remove the necessity of invasive processes or a surgery. The virtual robotic surgery is also one aspect that the virtual reality technology has been applied. In this case, the robotic device can be used to do the surgery, which can be controlled by the professional, in the process of which the time can be decreased and the complications of risks can also be reduced.

3.2The applications of virtual reality in construction

In the construction industry, virtual reality is one of the most important technologies in modern times, which has promoted the fast development of the construction industry and enables the construction to be completed smoothly. With the employment of virtual reality, the efficiency has been increased and the profit margins have been raised. The virtual environment can provide an organization with the 3D structure and the experience in a real world (Shields, 1996).